The Best Trucks and SUVs for Every Job

As more mainstream buyers chose trucks over the past few decades, these vehicles became more comfortable and easier to live with. But a heavy-duty truck still needs to be able to do some heavy-duty work (and play). Here are the 10 trucks and SUVs we'd pick for off-roading, working on the job site, or towing your boat to the lake.

2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon

Task: Low-Speed Four WheelingBase Price: $29,995

Jeep invented the recreational four-wheeler when the military's quarter-ton trucklet, the Willys MB of the 1940s, evolved into the Jeep CJ (Civilian Jeep). Today, the Jeep Wrangler carries on that tradition without sacrificing any capability. In fact, the newest ones are even better equipped to hit the rocks and mud.

The Wrangler still uses rugged body-on-frame construction and a solid axle at each end of the chassis for serious four-wheel-drive durability. The Rubicon model pushes the chassis to another level with locking differentials and a suite of hardcore parts that transform this machine into arguably the most off-road capable 4WD available today. The Wrangler Rubicon, in both two-door and four-door (Unlimited) guise, can easily crawl over boulders, logs, ditches, and mud holes that would halt most 4WD vehicles. And new for this year, all Wranglers come standard with a more powerful 285-hp V-6 and a choice of six-speed manual or five-speed automatic. The Wrangler really is the last honest, hose-it-out-when-it's-muddy 4WD vehicle. We hope the formula never changes.

2012 Ford Raptor

2012 Ford Raptor

Task: High-Speed Four WheelingBase Price: $43,565

The Wrangler is the master of the slow-speed four-wheeling world, but when it's time to bump up the speed, Ford's Raptor is the right tool for the job. The Raptor, based on Ford's F-150, is the brainchild of Ford's SVT high performance arm—the same guys that make the hair-raisingly quick Shelby Mustang GT500. The goal: Build a pickup truck that can sail across desert terrain as effortlessly as a Baja race truck.

To do it, the team built a longer travel suspension with Fox Racing shocks, widened the truck's track by 7 inches with new front control arms, and made room for beefy 33 tires. The Raptor packs a locking rear differential as well as a Torsen limited-slip differential up front, so it's not out of its element on a technical four-wheel-drive trail. Under the hood is a 411-hp 6.2-liter V-8. Raptors come in either SuperCab or larger SuperCrew cab configurations. Whichever setup you select, the Raptor's soft-riding suspension can sail over jumps, smooth out the worst washboard roads, and still tow an 8000-pound trailer.